Little Silver Student Tests Positive For COVID-19: Superintendent

LITTLE SILVER, NJ – A middle school student from Little Silver recently tested positive for COVID-19, prompting some students to transition to all-remote learning on the second day of the school year.

In a letter to parents dated Sept. 9 (first posted to NJ.com), superintendent Michael E. Ettore confirmed that one student from Markham Place School in Little Silver tested positive for COVID-19. According to the official, he was made aware of the diagnosis earlier on Wednesday. The school district is currently working closely with local public health officials to “ensure the health and safety of our community.”

Students in the K-8 school district began classes on Tuesday under a hybrid model of learning. However, as a result of the Sept. 9 update, all students in Markham Place School’s Grade 6 Cohort A will be required to stay home and participate in remote learning until further notice.

“Local public health officials recommend that students who were potentially exposed to the child who tested positive should remain home on remote instruction until the contact tracing process is complete,” wrote Ettore.

“The status of this situation is fluid and will be closely monitored each day.”

According to the school’s website, the guidelines for positive COVID-19 cases are as follows:

“We would follow the established protocols, which would include an immediate notification to the local Health Department who would then initiate a contact tracing investigation. That results of the investigation may result in a partial or full quarantine of the class, grade level, school or entire district. The same would hold true for a staff member, student or family member being exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19. If this happens, then the same contact tracing investigation process would begin. Decisions to quarantine individuals or groups of people would be made in conjunction with the local Department of Health and other local officials.”

The district website also highlights that one case would not necessarily suffice to move the district fully online again. Results from a subsequent contact tracing investigation would “largely determine our course of action.”

Ettore urges parents and students to continue following CDC promoting safeguards. Parents with any questions about the current situation in the district are asked to contact their child’s school nurse or Dave Henry from the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission at (732) 493-9520.